Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Praise to God for His Word and Providence
147 Praise[a] the Lord!
For (A)it is good to sing praises to our God;
(B)For it is pleasant, and (C)praise is beautiful.
2 The Lord (D)builds up Jerusalem;
(E)He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3 (F)He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their [b]wounds.
4 (G)He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5 (H)Great is our Lord, and (I)mighty in power;
(J)His understanding is infinite.
6 (K)The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8 (L)Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 (M)He gives to the beast its food,
And (N)to the young ravens that cry.
10 (O)He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
Dead Idols and the Living God
46 Bel (A)bows down, Nebo stoops;
Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.
Your carriages were heavily loaded,
(B)A burden to the weary beast.
2 They stoop, they bow down together;
They could not deliver the burden,
(C)But have themselves gone into captivity.
3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
(D)Who have been upheld by Me from [a]birth,
Who have been carried from the womb:
4 Even to your old age, (E)I am He,
And even to gray hairs (F)I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.
5 “To(G) whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal
And compare Me, that we should be alike?
6 (H)They lavish gold out of the bag,
And weigh silver on the scales;
They hire a (I)goldsmith, and he makes it a god;
They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
7 (J)They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it
And set it in its place, and it stands;
From its place it shall not move.
Though (K)one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer
Nor save him out of his trouble.
8 “Remember this, and [b]show yourselves men;
(L)Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
9 (M)Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and (N)there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 (O)Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, (P)‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey (Q)from the east,
The man (R)who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed (S)I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it.
Healing on the Sabbath(A)
9 (B)Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, (C)“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.
11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then (D)the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.